A Short Study in Slice-of-Life
In my attempt to understand what makes a great slice-of-life story, I look to “The Dutch House” by Terry Patchett. In the beginning of this book I thought it was going to be boring, but it was the little things that held my interest! What makes this an excellent slice-of-life book?
There is something that the main characters want, even if it seems small. Maeve wants to royally mess with their new stepmother and Danny wants to follow in his father’s footsteps. Together, the characters just want the Dutch House back. I learned that if the characters don’t have anything to yearn for then they are not worth reading about.
Their life holds big questions: where did their mom go? How did their dad go from living in poverty to being rich and making the big bucks? Why did he (either male character) marry this woman? It encourages to read on so you can find all of the answers to these questions, as well as to find out how these characters react to them.
They make a simple discovery, but I won’t tell you what it is because I don’t want to be that guy. I will say that they find something out that would have changed quite a bit had they just gone up to the house, rather than hang out a little down the street. It can be something small, as long as there is that little pivotal moment for both your character and your reader to discover.
“The Dutch House” is a great example of slice-of-life done right because we witness their lives as they unfold. The little humps in their journey are questioned and then they are eventually answered. I believe that is the recipe for a lovely simple story.
For a short story that I am currently working on, I knew that I wanted it to take place in a motel. I grew up staying the night in motels and hotels, and I believe that there is just something special to them that you don’t get from home. That is a great place to start because not only am I writing about something I am very familiar with, but I am also writing about something that has the potential of holding many stories.
In this little motel, my character Chloe has left school behind because she doesn’t know what she wants to do in life anymore.That is a common problem that many people can relate to and my character’s want: a new life’s purpose... or at least a new direction. This could also be her question, what does she want to do for the rest of her life?
Chloe finds a piece of her life that has been missing for years, and she may not even realize her discovery. It is that simple to the character and yet big enough for the reader to feel a jolt.
A question is asked and a revelation is made in the end. In between, we have those little life moments that all come together to create a lovely little slice-of-life story.
